Dear Settlers,
We’d like to give you an update regarding current and future development on The Settlers Online. Please keep in mind that these graphics and dates are not representative and the final design/implementation time may vary.
November 22nd Update
Guild Quests
We’ve been keeping a close eye on feedback related to the current guild quest system. After taking this all into account, we decided to completely rework the feature. Planned changes:
- More quests, as well as additional types of quests.
As promised a while ago, we’re adding in more quests for guilds. Members will receive interesting and fun opportunities to cooperate with each other in order to finish a main task, netting them some really nice rewards.
- Required amount of guild members.
Many players stressed that 25 members is a large number required in order to start a guild, and that this forced you to recruit more players than perhaps you wanted to. Based on this, we’ve decided to lower the required amount of people to start a guild to 10.
- New resource: Guild Coins.
We’ve heard many concerns that the current rewards for completing guild quest tasks are not worth the effort, and so we have adjusted this. Now completing guild quests will give you a brand new resource – Guild Coins!
Guild coins will allow you to get various things, including:
More information will be coming soon!
- New buffs
- New deposit refills
- Adventures
- Specialists
New Campaign System
Many of you have already seen these changes on the test server. After compiling your feedback from test events, we decided to add in a lot of new quest chains. This will help keep the game as interesting as ever for you. While you complete quests, you’ll be learning useful things about various game mechanics in The Settlers Online.
The following features belong to our New Campaign System:
- 250 new quests, including quest campaigns with special rewards and their own story
- New NPCs to meet
- Side quests
- The tutorial adventure “Bounty Hunter” has been reworked
- New help window system – this will explain all the features of the game with pictures and detailed descriptions. It will be opened every time you use a feature or function for the first time. Reward icons and interface elements will be highlighted to help make this even easier to understand.
- A help window archive, where you will be able to find a lot of information on the game and game mechanics.
December 6th Update
Christmas Event
There will be a special Holidays quest chain, complete with buffs and buildings, presented by a new NPC. You’ll also be able to experience a “White Christmas” on your island!The Recycling Factory will be available, and of course there will be presents, too! (They are the event currency.) Details about the brand new additions to our Christmas event will be announced shortly before the event!
Looking to the Future
News Window
The News tab will allow you to have more than merely text notifications of events; in the future, it will allow you to have a quick overview of what’s recently happened in your settlement. With a single click, you’ll be able to refill a mine or demolish depleted ones. On top of that, the improved news window will also show the remaining time for geologists, explorers, buffs and units. Here is a preview of the type of interface you can expect:Economic Adventures
This new type of adventure will feature challenges with little to no combat. Instead, they will contain difficult objectives for traders and economy buffs. Tightly balanced constraints such as starting resources, time limits, and limited building licenses will provide the challenge for these adventures. There will be rewards for the main goal, with bonus items attainable by completing optional side quests.
New Mail Window
We’ve also been working on a new in-game mail interface. This will not only allow you to have a better overview of your messages, but it’s going to implement several new interface improvements.
Star Menu Filters
This modification will help you better order things in your Star Menu. When this is implemented, you will finally be able to filter away all the items you don’t want to see!
Science System
New production cycles will implement some new resources, which will allow you to earn talent points. These talent points can then be spent on a home island talent tree, or for talent trees that your specialists will use. This means that you’ll be able to customize your specialists or even yourself in certain aspects (such as production and/or military).
Please keep in mind that the images shown are only drafts/placeholders.
The talent tree of your home island will consist of three different sub-sections. Each of these will allow focused specialization of your own island, such as your military strengths:Each of your specialists can be customized with skills as well. This will make it possible for players to hone in and make each specialist a true expert (for example, searching for specific goods):
As mentioned before, talent points are going to be a part of the game economy and a separate production tree is going to be responsible for producing them.
Raising the Level Cap
The max level cap (which is currently 50) will be raised in the future. Please keep in mind that you won't be able to stack experience in your mailbox in preparation for when this happens. When we do raise the level cap, all XP stored as messages in your mailbox will be deleted if it's older than two weeks.
Player versus Player
We know that many players have been eagerly waiting for more details relating to PvP. Here are some of the key facts relating to our future PvP system. In order to prepare the game for PvP content, we will be reworking the current combat system to make it more conducive to PvP.
We even have some pictures of PvP content to share!
- Home islands will be protected
We are happy to announce that it will not be possible to attack the home islands of other players – these islands will be protected from attacks. That means that there will be…- Separate islands for PvP!
New types of islands will be added to the game. Players who are interested in PvP will have the opportunity to compete with others in order to take control of valuable islands. With these valuable islands comes the…- Opportunity to gain precious resources
With the introduction of PvP content, we will be adding new ways to gain precious resources. The new resources here will definitely help you expand your settlements.
- Espionage building
- Watchtower with brief sneak peek at its overview
(Click for a larger image)